JP5925716B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image with ink.

  There is an image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting ultraviolet curable ink onto a recording sheet, irradiating the recording sheet with ultraviolet rays (active energy rays), and fixing (curing) the ultraviolet curable ink (for example, Patent Documents). 1). On the other hand, as conveying means for conveying the recording paper, there is a chain gripper that grips and lifts the leading edge of the recording paper while the recording paper is sucked into the conveyance path, and conveys it while dragging.

JP2012-30479A

  However, when the recording paper conveyed by the chain gripper is irradiated with active energy rays, there is a possibility that the ink is fixed with the leading end of the gripped recording paper curved and the recording paper curls.

  In view of the above-described facts, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing curling of a recording sheet when the recording sheet is irradiated with active energy rays to fix ink.

  An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an active energy ray irradiating unit that irradiates an active energy ray to a recording sheet on which an image is formed with an active energy ray curable ink, and an arrangement opposite to the active energy ray irradiating unit. A conveying path for sucking the recording paper, a conveying means for gripping the leading end portion of the recording paper sucked into the conveying path and lifting and conveying the leading end portion, and an irradiation area of the active energy ray irradiating means And air blowing means for sending air into a gap between the conveyance path and the leading end portion of the recording sheet to float the leading end portion of the recording sheet from the conveying path.

  According to the above invention, the recording paper on which an image is drawn with the active energy ray curable ink is conveyed by the conveying means to the active energy ray irradiating means. Here, the active energy rays are irradiated to fix the ink. At this time, the recording sheet is sucked by the conveying path disposed opposite to the active energy ray irradiating unit, and the conveying unit grips the leading end portion of the recording sheet and conveys the recording sheet while floating and dragging. Thereby, tension acts on the recording paper and wrinkles are eliminated, and active energy rays can be evenly irradiated.

  In addition, it has a blowing means for blowing air to the irradiation area of the active energy ray irradiating means, and this blowing means sends the air into the gap between the conveyance path and the leading end of the recording paper when irradiating the active energy ray, thereby recording. The leading end of the recording sheet is lifted from the conveyance path, and the leading end of the recording sheet is brought close to a straight line. Thereby, curling of the recording paper can be suppressed.

  The image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the air blowing unit is disposed downstream of the active energy ray irradiating unit in the conveyance direction of the recording paper, and is obliquely above the recording paper. Air is blown into the gap between the conveyance path and the leading edge of the recording paper.

  According to the invention described above, air is easily sent from the downstream side in the transport direction from the active energy ray irradiating means, so that air can be sent into the gap between the transport path and the leading end of the recording paper when the recording paper passes through the irradiation area. Further, since air is blown from above the recording paper, if the leading end of the recording paper passes through the air blowing means, the air blown from the air blowing means strikes the upper surface of the recording paper and presses the recording paper against the conveyance path. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rear end portion of the recording sheet from floating from the conveyance path and approaching the active energy irradiation means.

  In the image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the air blowing unit causes the leading end portion of the recording sheet to float up to the same height as the leading end portion gripped by the conveying unit.

  According to the invention described above, the leading end portion of the recording paper is linear, and curling can be suppressed. Here, the same height includes a case where the height of the leading end portion and the leading end portion of the recording paper are different to the extent that the recording paper is not curled.

  The image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, wherein the blower unit includes a blower box including a nozzle portion with a narrowed outlet, and the blower box. And a blower fan stored in the housing.

  According to the above invention, it is possible to suppress air from being diffused by restricting the air outlet, and to efficiently feed air into the gap between the leading end portion of the recording paper and the conveyance path.

  The image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, in which the air blowing unit blows air as the thickness of the recording sheet conveyed by the conveying unit increases. Wind speed control means for speeding up the operation is provided.

  According to the above invention, as the thickness of the recording paper increases, the weight of the recording paper increases and it is difficult to lift. However, the wind speed control means increases the wind speed of the blowing means, so that the recording paper can be increased even if the recording paper weight increases. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of curling by keeping the amount of floating up constant.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, wherein the active energy ray irradiating means includes a light source, a housing for storing the light source, and the housing. A suction fan that cools the light source by taking air into the housing, and the air blowing means transfers the air sucked by the suction fan to the conveyance path and the leading edge of the recording sheet. It is the exhaust duct which ventilates to the clearance gap between parts.

  According to the above invention, by driving the suction fan provided in the casing of the active energy ray irradiation means, air can be taken into the casing and the light source can be cooled. Further, since the air that has cooled the light source is blown to the gap between the conveyance path and the leading end of the recording sheet via the exhaust duct, there is no need to provide a separate blower fan.

  The image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, wherein the blowing unit blows warm air.

  According to the above invention, even if it is difficult to dry because the leading edge of the recording paper floats from the conveyance path, the warm air is blown to the gap between the conveyance path and the leading edge of the recording paper. Can be dried by heating.

  An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the blower blows air from a conveyance path surface of the conveyance path toward a lower surface of the recording sheet.

  According to the above invention, even when the gap between the leading end of the recording paper and the conveyance path is narrow, the recording paper can be floated by sending air from the conveyance path surface.

  In the image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the active energy ray curable ink is an ultraviolet curable ink, and the active energy ray irradiation unit Is an ultraviolet irradiation unit for irradiating ultraviolet rays.

  According to said invention, it can fix (harden | cure) in a short time by using an ultraviolet curable ink.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, curling of the recording paper can be suppressed when the active energy rays are applied to the recording paper to fix the ink.

1 is a front view showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the UV irradiation process part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the paper was conveyed to the heat drying process part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the paper was conveyed to UV irradiation process part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the paper passed the UV irradiation process part. It is sectional drawing which shows the UV irradiation process part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the UV irradiation process part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the UV irradiation process part which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus as an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

(overall structure)
This ink jet recording apparatus 10 is an ink jet recording apparatus that draws an image by an ink jet method using aqueous UV ink (ultraviolet curable ink using an aqueous medium) on a sheet of paper (recording paper) P. A paper supply unit 12 that supplies the paper P, a processing liquid application unit 14 that applies a predetermined processing liquid to the surface (drawing surface) of the paper P fed from the paper supply unit 12, and a processing liquid application unit 14. A processing liquid drying processing unit 16 that performs a drying process on the paper P to which the processing liquid is applied, and an image is formed by an inkjet method using aqueous UV ink on the surface of the paper P that has been subjected to the drying processing by the processing liquid drying processing unit 16. An ultraviolet ray (UV) is applied to the image recording unit 18 for recording, the heat drying processing unit 20 for drying the paper P on which the image is recorded by the image recording unit 18, and the paper P dried by the heat drying processing unit 20. Irradiation And UV irradiation section 22 for fixing the image Te, and a paper discharge section 24 for discharging the paper P UV irradiation treatment with UV irradiation section 22, the.

(Paper Feeder)
The sheet feeding unit 12 feeds the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding table 30 to the processing liquid applying unit 14 one by one. The sheet feeding unit 12 as an example of a sheet feeding unit mainly includes a sheet feeding base 30, a soccer device 32, a sheet feeding roller pair 34, a feeder board 36, a front pad 38, and a sheet feeding drum 40. Has been.

  The paper P is placed on the paper feed table 30 in a bundle state in which a large number of sheets are stacked. The sheet feed table 30 is provided so as to be lifted and lowered by a sheet feed table lifting device (not shown). The drive of the paper feed platform lifting / lowering device is controlled in conjunction with the increase / decrease of the paper P loaded on the paper feed platform 30 so that the paper P positioned at the top of the bundle is always positioned at a constant height. Then, the paper feed table 30 is moved up and down.

  The paper P as the recording paper is not particularly limited, but general-purpose printing paper used in general offset printing or the like (so-called high-quality paper, coated paper, art paper, or other paper mainly composed of cellulose) can be used. . In this example, coated paper is used. The coated paper is one in which a coating layer is provided by coating a coating material on the surface of high-quality paper or neutral paper that is generally not surface-treated. Specifically, art paper, coated paper, lightweight coated paper, finely coated paper and the like are preferably used.

  The soccer device 32 picks up the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding table 30 one by one from the top and feeds them to the pair of sheet feeding rollers 34. The soccer device 32 includes a suction foot 32A that is movable up and down and swingable. The suction foot 32A sucks and holds the upper surface of the paper P, and the paper P is fed from the paper feed table 30 to the paper feed roller pair 34. Transport. At this time, the suction foot 32A sucks and holds the top surface of the front end side of the paper P positioned at the top of the bundle, pulls up the paper P, and the front ends of the paper P pulled up constitute a pair of paper feed rollers 34. Insert between rollers 34A, 34B.

  The paper feed roller pair 34 includes a pair of upper and lower rollers 34A and 34B that are pressed against each other. One of the pair of upper and lower rollers 34A and 34B is a drive roller (roller 34A) and the other is a driven roller (roller 34B). The drive roller (roller 34A) is driven by a motor (not shown) and rotates. The motor is driven in conjunction with the feeding of the paper P. When the paper P is fed from the soccer device 32, the motor rotates the driving roller (roller 34A) in accordance with the timing. The sheet P inserted between the pair of upper and lower rollers 34A, 34B is nipped by the rollers 34A, 34B and is sent out in the rotation direction of the rollers 34A, 34B (the installation direction of the feeder board 36).

  The feeder board 36 is formed corresponding to the paper width, and receives the paper P sent out from the paper feed roller pair 34 and guides it to the front pad 38. The feeder board 36 is installed so as to be inclined downward, and guides the paper P placed on the transport surface to the front pad 38 by sliding along the transport surface.

  On the feeder board 36, a plurality of tape feeders 36A for conveying the paper P are installed at intervals in the width direction. The tape feeder 36A is formed in an endless shape, and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The paper P placed on the conveyance surface of the feeder board 36 is fed by the tape feeder 36A and conveyed on the feeder board 36.

A retainer 36B and a roller 36C are installed on the feeder board 36.
A plurality of retainers 36 </ b> B are arranged in a longitudinal line along the conveyance surface of the paper P (two in this example). The retainer 36 </ b> B is configured by a leaf spring having a width corresponding to the sheet width, and is placed in pressure contact with the conveyance surface. The paper P conveyed on the feeder board 36 by the tape feeder 36A passes through the retainer 36B, so that the unevenness is corrected. The retainer 36 </ b> B is formed by curling the rear end portion so that the paper P can be easily introduced between the retainer 36 </ b> B and the feeder board 36.

  The roller 36C is disposed between the front and rear retainers 36B. The roller 36C is placed in pressure contact with the transport surface of the paper P. The sheet P conveyed between the front and rear retainers 36B is conveyed while the upper surface is suppressed by the rollers 36C.

  The front pad 38 corrects the posture of the paper P. The front pad 38 is formed in a plate shape and is disposed orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper P. Further, it is driven by a motor (not shown) so as to be swingable. The leading edge of the sheet P conveyed on the feeder board 36 is brought into contact with the front pad 38 to correct the posture (so-called skew prevention). The front pad 38 swings in conjunction with the paper feeding to the paper feeding drum 40 and delivers the paper P whose posture has been corrected to the paper feeding drum 40.

  The paper supply drum 40 receives the paper P fed from the feeder board 36 via the front pad 38 and conveys it to the processing liquid application unit 14. The paper supply drum 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). A gripper 40A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed drum 40, and the leading edge of the paper P is gripped by the gripper 40A. The paper feed drum 40 conveys the paper P to the processing liquid application unit 14 while winding the paper P around the peripheral surface by gripping and rotating the leading edge of the paper P with the gripper 40A.

  The paper feed unit 12 is configured as described above. The sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding table 30 are pulled up one by one in order from the top by the soccer device 32 and fed to the pair of sheet feeding rollers 34. The paper P fed to the paper feed roller pair 34 is fed forward by a pair of upper and lower rollers 34A, 34B constituting the paper feed roller pair 34 and placed on the feeder board 36. The paper P placed on the feeder board 36 is transported by a tape feeder 36 </ b> A provided on the transport surface of the feeder board 36. Then, the retainer 36B is pressed against the transport surface of the feeder board 36 in the transport process, and the unevenness is corrected. The sheet P conveyed by the feeder board 36 has its leading end brought into contact with the front pad 38 to correct the inclination, and is then transferred to the sheet feeding drum 40. Then, it is transported by the paper feed drum 40 to the processing liquid application unit 14.

(Processing liquid application part)
The processing liquid application unit 14 applies a predetermined processing liquid to the surface (drawing surface) of the paper P. The treatment liquid application unit 14 mainly includes a treatment liquid application drum 42 that conveys the paper P, and a treatment liquid application unit 44 that applies a predetermined treatment liquid to the printing surface of the paper P conveyed by the treatment liquid application drum 42. It consists of

  The processing liquid application drum 42 receives the paper P from the paper supply drum 40 of the paper supply unit 12 and conveys the paper P to the processing liquid drying processing unit 16. The treatment liquid application drum 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). A gripper 42A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the treatment liquid applying drum 42, and the leading edge of the paper P is gripped by the gripper 42A. The treatment liquid application drum 42 conveys the paper P to the treatment liquid drying processing unit 16 (one rotation) while the paper P is wound around the circumferential surface by gripping and rotating the leading edge of the paper P with the gripper 42A. To transport one sheet of paper P). The rotation of the processing liquid application drum 42 and the paper supply drum 40 is controlled so that the timing of receiving and delivering the paper P matches each other. That is, it drives so that it may become the same peripheral speed, and it drives so that the position of a mutual gripper may match.

  The treatment liquid application unit 44 applies the treatment liquid to the surface of the paper P conveyed by the treatment liquid application drum 42 by a roller. The processing liquid application unit 44 mainly applies a coating roller 44A for applying the processing liquid to the paper P, a processing liquid tank 44B for storing the processing liquid, and a processing liquid stored in the processing liquid tank 44B. A pumping roller 44C to be supplied to the roller 44A. The pumping roller 44C is installed in pressure contact with the application roller 44A, and partly immersed in the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid tank 44B. The pumping roller 44C measures and pumps the processing liquid, and applies the processing liquid to the peripheral surface of the coating roller 44A with a certain thickness. The application roller 44A is provided corresponding to the paper width, is pressed against the paper P, and applies the treatment liquid applied to the peripheral surface thereof to the paper P. The application roller 44 </ b> A is driven by a contact / separation mechanism (not shown) and moves between a contact position that contacts the peripheral surface of the treatment liquid application drum 42 and a separation position that separates from the peripheral surface of the treatment liquid application drum 42. To do. The contact / separation mechanism moves the application roller 44 </ b> A in accordance with the passage timing of the paper P, and applies the treatment liquid onto the surface of the paper P conveyed by the treatment liquid application drum 42.

  In this example, the treatment liquid is applied by roller application, but the method of applying the treatment liquid is not limited to this. In addition, the structure provided using an inkjet head and the structure provided by spraying can also be employ | adopted.

  The treatment liquid application unit 14 is configured as described above. The paper P delivered from the paper supply drum 40 of the paper supply unit 12 is received by the processing liquid application drum 42. The treatment liquid applying drum 42 grips the leading end of the paper P with the gripper 42A and rotates, so that the paper P is wound around the circumferential surface and conveyed. In this conveyance process, the application roller 44A is pressed against the surface of the paper P, and the processing liquid is applied to the surface of the paper P.

  Here, the processing liquid applied to the surface of the paper P is applied with a processing liquid having a function of aggregating the color material in the aqueous UV ink that is ejected onto the paper P in the subsequent image recording unit 18. By applying such a treatment liquid to the surface of the paper P and ejecting water-based UV ink, even when using general-purpose printing paper, high-quality printing is possible without causing landing interference or the like. It can be carried out.

(Processing liquid drying processing part)
The processing liquid drying processing unit 16 performs a drying process on the paper P having a processing liquid applied to the surface. The processing liquid drying processing unit 16 mainly blows hot air onto the printing surface of the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 that transports the paper P, the paper transport guide 48, and the paper P that is transported by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. And a processing liquid drying processing unit 50 for drying.

  The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 receives the paper P from the processing liquid application drum 42 of the processing liquid application unit 14 and conveys the paper P to the image recording unit 18. The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 is constituted by a frame assembled in a cylindrical shape, and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). A gripper 46A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the processing liquid drying processing drum 46, and the leading edge of the paper P is gripped by the gripper 46A. The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 conveys the paper P to the image recording unit 18 by gripping and rotating the leading edge of the paper P with the gripper 46A. Note that the treatment liquid drying treatment drum 46 of this example is configured so that grippers 42A are disposed at two locations on the outer peripheral surface so that two sheets of paper P can be conveyed by one rotation. The rotation of the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 and the processing liquid application drum 42 is controlled so that the timing of receiving and delivering the paper P is matched. That is, it drives so that it may become the same peripheral speed, and it drives so that the position of a mutual gripper may match.

  The paper transport guide 48 is disposed along the transport path of the paper P by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 and guides the transport of the paper P.

  The processing liquid drying processing unit 50 is installed inside the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 and performs drying processing by blowing hot air toward the surface of the paper P conveyed by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. In this example, the two processing liquid drying processing units 50 are arranged in the processing liquid drying processing drum, and are configured to blow hot air toward the surface of the paper P conveyed by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. ing.

  The processing liquid drying processing unit 16 is configured as described above. The paper P delivered from the processing liquid application drum 42 of the processing liquid application unit 14 is received by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 conveys the paper P by gripping the leading end of the paper P with the gripper 46 </ b> A and rotating. At this time, the treatment liquid drying treatment drum 46 conveys the surface of the paper P (the surface coated with the treatment liquid) inward. In the course of being conveyed by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46, the paper P is dried by blowing hot air from the processing liquid drying processing unit 50 installed inside the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. That is, the solvent component in the treatment liquid is removed. As a result, an ink aggregation layer is formed on the surface of the paper P.

(Image recording part)
The image recording unit 18 ejects droplets of C, M, Y, and K active energy ray-curable inks on the printing surface of the paper P, and draws a color image on the printing surface of the paper P. In this embodiment, an ultraviolet curable aqueous ink (hereinafter referred to as UV ink) is used as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any other ink that can be cured by reacting with active energy rays may be used. Ink may be used. For example, an electron beam curable ink may be used.

  The image recording unit 18 mainly presses the image recording drum 52 that conveys the paper P, and the paper P that is conveyed by the image recording drum 52, and causes the paper P to adhere to the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. 54, inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K as an example of ejection heads that eject UV ink droplets of C, M, Y, and K colors on paper P, and an in-line sensor that reads an image recorded on paper P 58, a mist filter 60 that captures ink mist, and a drum cooling unit 62.

  The image recording drum 52 receives the paper P from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 of the processing liquid drying processing unit 16 and conveys the paper P to the heat drying processing unit 20. The image recording drum 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). A gripper 52A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52, and the leading edge of the paper P is gripped by the gripper 52A. The image recording drum 52 conveys the paper P to the heat-drying processing unit 20 while winding the paper P around the peripheral surface by gripping and rotating the leading edge of the paper P with the gripper 52A. The image recording drum 52 has a plurality of suction holes (not shown) formed in a predetermined pattern on the peripheral surface thereof. The paper P wound around the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52 is conveyed while being sucked and held on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52 by being sucked from the suction holes. Thereby, the paper P can be conveyed with high smoothness.

  The suction from the suction hole acts only within a certain range, and acts between a predetermined suction start position and a predetermined suction end position. The suction start position is set to the installation position of the sheet pressing roller 54, and the suction end position is set to the downstream side of the installation position of the inline sensor 58 (for example, set to a position for delivering the sheet to the heat drying processing unit 20). .) That is, at least at the installation position (image recording position) of the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K and the installation position (image reading position) of the inline sensor 58, the paper P is sucked and held on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. Set to

  The mechanism for sucking and holding the paper P on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52 is not limited to the suction method using the negative pressure, and a method using electrostatic suction may be employed.

  Further, the image recording drum 52 of the present example is configured so that grippers 52A are disposed at two locations on the outer peripheral surface so that two sheets of paper P can be conveyed by one rotation. The rotation of the image recording drum 52 and the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 is controlled so that the timing of receiving and transferring the paper P to each other matches. That is, it drives so that it may become the same peripheral speed, and it drives so that the position of a mutual gripper may match.

  The paper pressing roller 54 is disposed in the vicinity of the paper receiving position of the image recording drum 52 (the position where the paper P is received from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46). The sheet pressing roller 54 is composed of a rubber roller, and is installed in press contact with the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. The paper P transferred from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 to the image recording drum 52 is nipped by passing through the paper pressing roller 54 and is brought into close contact with the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52.

  The four inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K are arranged at a constant interval along the conveyance path of the paper P by the image recording drum 52. The inkjet heads 56 </ b> C, 56 </ b> M, 56 </ b> Y, 56 </ b> K are constituted by line heads corresponding to the paper width, and are arranged so that the nozzle surface faces the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. Each of the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K discharges a droplet of UV ink from the nozzle row formed on the nozzle surface toward the image recording drum 52, thereby conveying the paper P conveyed by the image recording drum 52. Record an image on

  As described above, the UV ink ejected from each of the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K can be cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays after droplet ejection.

  The inline sensor 58 is installed on the downstream side of the rearmost inkjet head 56K with respect to the conveyance direction of the paper P by the image recording drum 52, and reads the images recorded by the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K. The in-line sensor 58 is constituted by, for example, a line scanner, and reads images recorded by the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K from the paper P conveyed by the image recording drum 52.

  A contact prevention plate 59 is installed in the vicinity of the inline sensor 58 on the downstream side of the inline sensor 58. The contact prevention plate 59 prevents the paper P from coming into contact with the in-line sensor 58 when the paper P is lifted due to a conveyance failure or the like.

  The mist filter 60 is disposed between the rearmost inkjet head 56K and the in-line sensor 58, and sucks air around the image recording drum 52 to capture the ink mist. In this way, by sucking the air around the image recording drum 52 and capturing the ink mist, the ink mist can be prevented from entering the in-line sensor 58 and reading errors can be prevented.

  The drum cooling unit 62 cools the image recording drum 52 by blowing cold air onto the image recording drum 52. The drum cooling unit 62 mainly includes an air conditioner (not shown) and a duct 62 </ b> A that blows cool air supplied from the air conditioner onto the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. The duct 62 </ b> A cools the image recording drum 52 by blowing cool air to an area other than the conveyance area of the paper P against the image recording drum 52. In this example, since the paper P is conveyed along the arc surface of the upper half of the image recording drum 52, the duct 62A blows cold air to the area of the lower half of the image recording drum 52 to record the image. The drum 52 is cooled. Specifically, the air outlet of the duct 62 </ b> A is formed in an arc shape so as to cover substantially the lower half of the image recording drum 52, and cold air is blown to the region of the substantially lower half of the image recording drum 52. Has been.

  Here, the temperature for cooling the image recording drum 52 is determined by the relationship with the temperatures of the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K (particularly the temperature of the nozzle surface), and is higher than the temperatures of the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K. It is cooled to a low temperature. Thereby, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring in the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y and 56K. That is, by making the temperature of the image recording drum 52 lower than that of the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K, condensation can be induced on the image recording drum side, and the condensation that occurs on the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K. (Especially, condensation on the nozzle surface) can be prevented.

  The image recording unit 18 is configured as described above. The paper P delivered from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 of the processing liquid drying processing unit 16 is received by the image recording drum 52. The image recording drum 52 conveys the paper P by gripping the leading end of the paper P with the gripper 52A and rotating. The paper P delivered to the image recording drum 52 is first brought into close contact with the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52 by passing through the paper pressing roller 54. At the same time, it is sucked from the suction hole of the image recording drum 52 and sucked and held on the outer peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. The sheet P is conveyed in this state and passes through the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K. During the passage, droplets of UV inks of C, M, Y, and K colors are ejected from the inkjet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K onto the surface, and a color image is drawn on the surface. Since the ink aggregation layer is formed on the surface of the paper P, a high-quality image can be recorded without causing feathering or bleeding.

  The paper P on which an image is recorded by the ink jet heads 56C, 56M, 56Y, and 56K then passes through the inline sensor 58. Then, an image recorded on the surface when the in-line sensor 58 passes is read. Reading of the recorded image is performed as necessary, and an inspection such as ejection failure is performed from the read image. When reading is performed, the reading is performed while being sucked and held by the image recording drum 52, so that reading can be performed with high accuracy. Further, since reading is performed immediately after image recording, for example, abnormalities such as ejection failure can be detected immediately, and it is possible to respond quickly. As a result, it is possible to prevent wasteful recording and minimize the occurrence of waste paper.

  Thereafter, the sheet P is transferred to the heat drying processing unit 20 after the suction is released.

(Heat drying processing part)
The heat drying processing unit 20 performs drying processing on the paper P after image recording, and removes the liquid component remaining on the surface of the paper P. The heat drying processing unit 20 mainly includes a chain gripper 64 as an example of a transport unit that transports the paper P on which an image is recorded, and a back tension that applies a back tension (tension) to the paper P transported by the chain gripper 64. The application mechanism 66 and a drying processing unit 68 for heating and drying the paper P conveyed by the chain gripper 64 are configured.

  The chain gripper 64 is a paper transport mechanism commonly used in the heat drying processing unit 20, the UV irradiation processing unit 22, and the paper discharge unit 24. The chain gripper 64 receives the paper P delivered from the image recording unit 18 and discharges it. Transport to paper section 24.

  The chain gripper 64 mainly includes a first sprocket 64A installed in the vicinity of the image recording drum 52, a second sprocket 64B installed in the paper discharge unit 24, a first sprocket 64A, and a second sprocket 64B. The endless chain 64C is wound around, a plurality of chain guides (not shown) for guiding the running of the chain 64C, and a plurality of grippers 64D attached to the chain 64C at a constant interval. The first sprocket 64 </ b> A, the second sprocket 64 </ b> B, the chain 64 </ b> C, and the chain guide are each configured as a pair, and are disposed on both sides of the paper P in the width direction. The gripper 64D is installed over a chain 64C provided as a pair.

  The first sprocket 64A is installed close to the image recording drum 52 so that the paper P delivered from the image recording drum 52 can be received by the gripper 64D. The first sprocket 64A is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) and is connected to a motor (not shown) via a gear. The chain 64C wound around the first sprocket 64A and the second sprocket 64B travels by driving this motor.

  The second sprocket 64B is installed in the paper discharge unit 24 so that the paper P received from the image recording drum 52 can be collected by the paper discharge unit 24. That is, the installation position of the second sprocket 64B is the end of the transport path of the paper P by the chain gripper 64. The second sprocket 64B is pivotally supported by a bearing (not shown) and is rotatably provided.

  The chain 64C is formed in an endless shape and is wound around the first sprocket 64A and the second sprocket 64B.

  The chain guide is arranged at a predetermined position and guides the chain 64C to travel along a predetermined path (= guides so that the paper P travels along a predetermined transport path and is transported). In the present embodiment, the second sprocket 64B is disposed at a position higher than the first sprocket 64A. For this reason, a travel route in which the chain 64C is inclined in the middle is formed. Specifically, a travel path is configured by the first horizontal transport path 70A, the inclined transport path 70B, and the second horizontal transport path 70C.

  70 A of 1st horizontal conveyance paths are set to the same height as 1st sprocket 64A, and chain 64C wound around 1st sprocket 64A is set so that it may run horizontally. The second horizontal conveyance path 70C is set to the same height as the second sprocket 64B, and the chain 64C wound around the second sprocket 64B is set to travel horizontally. The inclined conveyance path 70B is set between the first horizontal conveyance path 70A and the second horizontal conveyance path 70C, and is set so as to connect the first horizontal conveyance path 70A and the second horizontal conveyance path 70C.

  The chain guide is disposed so as to form the first horizontal conveyance path 70A, the inclined conveyance path 70B, and the second horizontal conveyance path 70C. Specifically, it is disposed at at least a junction point between the first horizontal conveyance path 70A and the inclined conveyance path 70B and a junction point between the inclined conveyance path 70B and the second horizontal conveyance path 70C.

  A plurality of grippers 64D are attached to the chain 64C at a constant interval. The attachment interval of the gripper 64D is set in accordance with the reception interval of the paper P from the image recording drum 52. That is, it is set according to the reception interval of the paper P from the image recording drum 52 so that the paper P sequentially delivered from the image recording drum 52 can be received from the image recording drum 52 at the same timing.

  The chain gripper 64 is configured as described above. As described above, when a motor (not shown) connected to the first sprocket 64A is driven, the chain 64C travels. The chain 64C travels at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the image recording drum 52. The timing is adjusted so that the paper P delivered from the image recording drum 52 can be received by each gripper 64D.

  The back tension applying mechanism 66 applies a back tension (tension) to the paper P that is conveyed while its tip is held by the chain gripper 64. The back tension applying mechanism 66 mainly includes a guide plate 72 as a conveyance path disposed in the heat drying processing unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the guide plate 72 is configured by a hollow box plate having a width corresponding to the width of the paper P. The guide plate 72 includes a plurality of suction holes 200 formed in the upper surface 72A, and a suction fan 202 that is disposed on the lower side of the central portion of the guide plate 72 and sucks air from the plurality of suction holes 200. ing. Further, an exhaust pipe 204 for discharging the air sucked from the numerous suction holes 200 by the suction fan 202 is connected to the lower side of the guide plate 72.

  The guide plate 72 configured as described above is arranged along the transport path (= chain travel path) of the paper P by the chain gripper 64 and constitutes the transport path of the paper P. Specifically, it is disposed along the chain 64C that travels along the first horizontal conveyance path 70A, and is spaced apart from the chain 64C by a predetermined distance. Therefore, the paper P conveyed on the outer peripheral side of the chain 64C by the chain gripper 64 is conveyed while being dragged in a state where the surface opposite to the drawing surface is sucked by the upper surface of the guide plate 72 (see FIG. 3). ).

  A large number of suction holes 200 are formed in a predetermined pattern on the upper surface of the guide plate 72, and the suction fan 202 sucks the hollow portion (inside) of the guide plate 72, whereby the tip gripped by the gripper 64D. The sheet P is sucked into the suction hole 200 except for the portion. As a result, back tension (tension) is applied to the paper P conveyed by the chain gripper 64.

  As described above, since the guide plate 72 is disposed along the chain 64C that travels along the first horizontal transport path 70A, back tension is applied while the paper P is transported along the first horizontal transport path 70A. Is done.

  The drying processing unit 68 is installed on the inner peripheral side (upper side in the drawing) of the chain 64C. In the present embodiment, the drying processing unit 68 includes a dryer that blows hot air onto the paper P as an example. An infrared heater or the like may be used as the drying processing unit. Further, a heating plate may be disposed in the conveyance path where the paper P comes in contact and heat-dried.

  A plurality of drying processing units 68 are arranged along the first horizontal conveyance path 70A. In the present embodiment, as an example, five drying processing units 68 are provided along the first horizontal conveyance path 70A. Yes. As a result, while the paper P passes under the five processing drying units 68, hot air is blown onto the paper P and is heated and dried (see FIG. 3). Each of the drying processing units 68 is connected to a control unit (not shown), and is configured so that the output of the drying processing unit 68 can be adjusted by a command from the control unit.

  The number of drying processing units 68 installed is set according to the processing capacity of the drying processing unit 68, the conveyance speed (= printing speed) of the paper P, and the like. That is, the number of installations is set so that the paper P received from the image recording unit 18 can be dried while being conveyed through the first horizontal conveyance path 70A.

  The heat drying processing unit 20 is configured as described above. The paper P delivered from the image recording drum 52 of the image recording unit 18 is received by the chain gripper 64. The chain gripper 64 grips the leading end of the paper P with the gripper 64 </ b> D and lifts it from the guide plate 72, and transports the paper P in a state where the rear end of the paper P is in contact with the guide plate 72. The paper P delivered to the chain gripper 64 is first transported along the first horizontal transport path 70A. In the process of being transported along the first horizontal transport path 70A, hot air is blown onto the paper P from the drying processing unit 68, and a heat drying process is performed. At this time, since the paper P is dried while being applied with the back tension (tension) by the back tension applying mechanism 66, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of drying unevenness and wrinkles.

(UV irradiation processing part)
The UV irradiation processing unit 22 irradiates the drawing surface of the paper P on which the UV ink has been ejected with ultraviolet rays (an example of an active energy ray), cures the UV ink, and fixes the image. Here, the active energy ray refers to an energy ray that can generate a starting species in the ink composition by irradiation, and widely includes α rays, γ rays, X rays, ultraviolet rays, visible rays, electron rays, and the like. Among them, ultraviolet rays and electron beams are preferable from the viewpoint of curing sensitivity and device availability, and ultraviolet rays are more preferable. In this embodiment, since an image is formed with UV ink, it is fixed by irradiating with ultraviolet rays.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the UV irradiation processing unit 22 mainly includes a chain gripper 64 that transports the paper P, a back tension applying mechanism 66 that applies back tension to the paper P transported by the chain gripper 64, and a chain. It is composed of a UV irradiation unit 74 as active energy ray irradiating means for irradiating the paper P conveyed by the gripper 64 with ultraviolet rays and a blower unit 80 as blower means. Further, the chain gripper 64 and the back tension applying mechanism 66 are used in common with the heat drying processing unit 20.

  The UV irradiation unit 74 is disposed opposite to the guide plate 72 on the inner peripheral side of the chain 64C on the downstream side in the transport direction from the drying processing unit 68, and ultraviolet rays (UV) are applied to the drawing surface of the paper P that has passed through the heat drying processing unit 20. ). As shown in FIG. 2, the UV irradiation unit 74 mainly includes a UV lamp 74A as a light source, a housing 74B for storing the UV lamp 74A, and a suction fan 74C provided in the housing 74B. ing.

  As the UV lamp 74A, for example, a metal halide lamp, a high-pressure mercury lamp, an ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp, a deep ultraviolet lamp, a xenon lamp, a UV-LED, or the like is used. Yes. In the present embodiment, the UV lamp 74A extending in the width direction of the paper P is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of UV lamps 74A may be arranged in the width direction of the paper P.

  The casing 74B is formed in a cylindrical shape having an open top and bottom, and a UV lamp 74A is housed inside. Further, a shutter (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the housing 74B so as to be openable and closable, and is configured to be able to close an opening on the lower side (guide plate 72 side) in the figure. Thereby, only when the UV irradiation unit 74 is used, the shutter can be opened to irradiate ultraviolet rays.

  A suction fan 74C is attached to the top of the housing 74B. The suction fan 74C includes a rotary blade 74D connected to a motor (not shown), and the motor rotates the rotary blade 74D to take in air from below the housing 74B and cool the UV lamp 74A. The air that has cooled the UV lamp 74A is sent out above the suction fan 74C.

  A blower unit 80 is disposed downstream of the UV irradiation unit 74 in the transport direction. The blower unit 80 is located above the guide plate 72 and mainly includes a blower box 82 and a blower fan 84 stored in the blower box 82. Further, the air blowing unit 80 is arranged at an angle so that air can be blown from the upper side with respect to the guide plate 72.

  The blower fan 84 includes a housing extending in the width direction of the paper P, and a plurality of rotating blades 84A are arranged in the width direction of the paper P inside the housing (in FIG. 2, 1). Only one rotary blade 84A is shown). Each rotary blade 84A is connected to a motor (not shown), and rotates to blow air by driving the motor.

  A nozzle portion 82 </ b> A is attached to the blower box 82. The nozzle portion 82A extends in the width direction of the paper P in the same manner as the blower fan 84, and is formed with a narrow width from the one end side where the blower fan 84 is stored toward the blowout port 82B on the other end side. The road is narrowed down. Further, the air outlet 82B is opened toward the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74, and the air blown from the blower fan 84 to the nozzle portion 82A is directed from the air outlet 82B toward the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74. Be blown.

  Here, the position of the blower unit 80 and the angle with respect to the guide plate 72 are arranged so that the blower unit 80 can blow air to the gap between the paper P and the guide plate 72 when the paper P reaches the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74. The wind speed is adjusted.

  The UV irradiation processing unit 22 is configured as described above. The paper P that has been transported to the chain gripper 64 and dried by the heat drying processing unit 20 is subjected to UV irradiation processing by the UV irradiation unit 74 in the process of being transported through the first horizontal transport path 70A. At this time, air is blown into the gap between the one end of the paper P conveyed from the blower unit 80 to the irradiation area and the guide plate 72. The paper P that has been subjected to the UV irradiation process is conveyed to the paper discharge unit 24 via the inclined conveyance path 70B.

  The UV irradiation processing unit 22 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of UV irradiation units 74 and a blower unit 80. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of UV irradiation units 74 are arranged in the transport direction of the paper P. Further, a blower unit 80 may be provided. In the present embodiment, the UV irradiation processing unit 22 is provided in the first horizontal conveyance path 70A. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the UV irradiation unit 74 and the blower unit 80 may be provided in the inclined conveyance path 70B. In this case, a separate guide plate is disposed at a position facing the inclined conveyance path 70B.

(Output section)
The paper discharge unit 24 collects the paper P on which a series of image recording processing has been performed. The paper discharge unit 24 mainly includes a chain gripper 64 that transports the UV-irradiated paper P and a paper discharge tray 76 that stacks and collects the paper P.

  As described above, the chain gripper 64 is used in common with the heat drying processing unit 20 and the UV irradiation processing unit 22. The chain gripper 64 releases the paper P on the paper discharge tray 76 and stacks the paper P on the paper discharge tray 76.

  The paper discharge tray 76 stacks and collects the paper P released from the chain gripper 64. The paper discharge tray 76 is provided with a paper pad (a front paper pad, a rear paper pad, a horizontal paper pad, etc.) so that the sheets P are stacked in an orderly manner (not shown).

  Further, the paper discharge tray 76 is provided so as to be lifted and lowered by a paper discharge tray lifting / lowering device (not shown). The discharge platform lifting device is controlled in conjunction with the increase / decrease of the paper P stacked on the paper discharge tray 76 so that the uppermost paper P is always positioned at a certain height. The paper table 76 is moved up and down.

(Function and effect)
Next, operations and effects of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When the user starts the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 and starts image recording, as shown in FIG. 1, the paper P is fed from the paper feeding unit 12, and the image recording unit 18 applies the paper P to the paper P as described above. UV ink is ejected. The paper P on which the UV ink is ejected is transferred from the image recording drum 52 to the chain gripper 64.

  After gripping the leading edge P1 of the paper P with the gripper 64D and receiving the paper P from the image recording drum 52, the gripper 64D transports the paper P to the first horizontal transport path 70A. At this time, the leading end portion P1 of the paper P gripped by the gripper 64D is floating from the guide plate 72, and the portion in contact with the guide plate 72 is sucked by the suction hole 200. Therefore, the gripper 64D The paper P is conveyed while being dragged.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the paper P transported to the first horizontal transport path 70A is heated and dried by blowing hot air from the drying processing unit 68 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the chain 64C. At this time, the portion of the paper P that is in contact with the guide plate 72 is in a state of being sucked and stretched by the suction hole 200. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of a wrinkle is suppressed and a hot air can be sprayed uniformly on the paper P, and a drying nonuniformity can be suppressed.

  Here, since the blower fan 84 according to the present embodiment continuously blows air toward the guide plate 72, air is sent from the blower fan 84 while the paper P passes through the drying processing unit 68. However, since the distance between the blower fan 84 and the paper P is large, and the paper P is pressed against the guide plate 72 by the hot air from the drying processing unit 68, it contacts the guide plate 72 of the paper P. The portion that is not lifted off the guide plate 72.

  Subsequently, when the leading end P1 of the paper P passes through the drying processing unit 68 and reaches the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74, the UV irradiation unit 80 is obliquely upward of the paper P by the blower unit 80 as shown in FIG. The air blown to the irradiation area 74 hits the guide plate 72 as shown by an arrow in the figure, and then proceeds to the upstream side in the transport direction along the upper surface of the guide plate 72 to guide the leading edge of the guide plate 72 and the paper P. Part of the air does not hit the guide plate 72 but directly enters the gap between the guide plate 72 and the leading end of the paper P. Here, since a part of the blown air is sucked from the suction hole 200 to the guide plate 72, the air is blown with a sufficient blown amount in consideration of this.

  As described above, air enters the gap between the guide plate 72 and the paper P, so that the leading end portion P2 of the paper P that has been in contact with the guide plate 72 is floated from the guide plate 72. As a result, the leading end portion P2 of the curved sheet P approaches a straight line. In this state, the UV ink discharged onto the paper P reacts with the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the UV irradiation unit 74 and is fixed (cured), so that the paper P can be prevented from curling.

  In FIG. 4, the sheet P is floated up to the same height as the leading end portion P1 gripped by the gripper 64D. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Therefore, the heights of the tip portion P1 and the tip portion P2 do not have to be exactly the same. Further, the distal end portion P2 may be raised higher than the distal end portion P1, and the bending direction may be reversed.

  Next, when the leading end portion of the paper P passes through the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74, the air blown from the blower fan 84 to the irradiation area is blown onto the upper surface of the paper P as shown in FIG. The rear end portion is pressed against the guide plate 72. Accordingly, the rear end portion of the paper P is not blown by air blowing, and the paper P can be prevented from being overheated by contacting the UV irradiation unit 74. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the suction fan 74C of the UV irradiation unit 74 takes in air into the housing, a suction force acts on the paper P toward the UV irradiation unit 74 side. Since the sheet P is pressed and sucked by the guide plate 72, the rear end portion of the sheet P does not float from the guide plate 72. Preferably, the position and angle of the blower unit 80 so that the air blown from the blower fan 84 is blown onto the upper surface of the paper P when the position 100 mm from the rear end of the paper P is conveyed to just below the UV irradiation unit 74. Make adjustments.

  In the present embodiment, the air blowing unit 80 is provided above the guide plate 72 and air is blown from obliquely above the paper P. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the air blowing unit 80 is disposed outside the guide plate 72 in the width direction. It may be provided and blown in the width direction of the paper P. In this case, it is preferable to prevent the rear end portion of the paper P from being lifted from the guide plate 72 by turning off the blower fan 84 at the timing when the leading end portion of the paper P passes through the blower unit 80.

  Moreover, although the nozzle part 82A in which the blower outlet 82B was restrict | squeezed is formed in the ventilation box 82 of the ventilation unit 80 which concerns on this embodiment, not only this but the nozzle part provided with the several blower outlet 82B is provided. In the case where a sufficient amount of air can be fed into the gap between the guide plate 72 and the paper P, the air outlet 82B of the nozzle portion 82A does not have to be throttled.

  Further, in this embodiment, a suction fan 74C is provided in the UV irradiation unit 74 and the UV lamp 74A is air-cooled. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a cooling tube or the like is disposed around the UV lamp 74A. May be cooled with water. In this case, it is not necessary to attach the suction fan 74C.

  Moreover, although the ventilation fan 84 which concerns on this embodiment is blowing normal temperature air, it may attach not only to this but a heater etc. to the ventilation unit 80, and may blow warm air. For example, when a heating plate is provided on the guide plate 72 and the paper P is heated and dried, the leading end of the paper P is gripped by the gripper 64D and floats from the guide plate 72, and thus cannot be directly heated by the heating plate. . Here, if the warm air is blown from the blower fan 84 to the leading end portion P1 of the paper P, the leading end P1 of the paper P is heated and dried by the warm air, and drying unevenness can be suppressed.

Second Embodiment
Next, an ink jet recording apparatus 85 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the blower unit 80 configuring the inkjet recording apparatus 85 according to the present embodiment includes a blower box 82 and a blower fan 84 having the same structure as that of the first embodiment. Here, the blower fan 84 is connected to a control unit 86 as a wind speed control means.

  The controller 86 is connected to a motor (not shown) that drives the rotary blades 84 </ b> A of the blower fan 84, and controls the voltage applied to the motor according to the thickness of the paper P conveyed by the chain gripper 64. Specifically, when transporting thick paper P, the controller 86 increases the voltage applied to the motor. Conversely, when the thin paper P is transported, the voltage applied by the controller 86 to the motor is reduced.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus 85 according to the present embodiment, the paper P is lifted from the guide plate 72 in the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74 regardless of the thickness of the paper P to be conveyed, and the leading end portion of the paper P is curled. Can be suppressed. That is, if the material of the paper P is the same, the weight of the paper P increases as the thickness of the paper P to be transported increases. For this reason, when the air is blown at the same wind speed, the thick paper P cannot be sufficiently lifted from the guide plate 72. However, the blower fan can be obtained by increasing the number of rotations of the motor by increasing the voltage applied by the control means 84 to the motor. The wind speed blown from 84 can be increased. Further, when the thin paper P is transported, the amount by which the paper P is floated can be adjusted by lowering the voltage applied by the control means 84 to the motor.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, an ink jet recording apparatus 90 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 90 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the UV irradiation processing unit 92. As shown in FIG. 7, the UV irradiation processing unit 92 according to the present embodiment is the first embodiment. The UV irradiation unit 94 having the same structure as the UV irradiation unit 74 of the embodiment is provided.

  That is, the UV irradiation unit 94 includes a UV lamp 94A as a light source, a housing 94B for storing the UV lamp 94A, and a suction fan 94C provided in the housing 94B. Here, one end of an exhaust duct 96 through which air sent from the suction fan 94C flows is connected to the upper part of the suction fan 94C. The exhaust duct 96 is attached to the upper surface of the suction fan 74C so as not to leak the air sent out from the suction fan 74C, and extends downstream in the transport direction.

  A blow-out portion 98 is formed at the other end portion of the exhaust duct 96 extending from the UV irradiation unit 94 to the downstream side in the transport direction. The blowout portion 98 is formed with a blowout port 98A having a narrow flow path so that air can be blown from the obliquely upper side of the paper P through the blowout port 98A.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus 90 according to the present embodiment, when the suction fan 94C provided in the UV irradiation unit 94 rotates, air is taken into the housing 94B and the UV lamp 94A can be cooled. The air that has cooled the UV lamp 94 </ b> A is blown out from the outlet 82 </ b> B through the exhaust duct 96 and is sent into the gap between the leading end of the paper P and the guide plate 72. Accordingly, the leading end portion of the paper P can be lifted from the guide plate 72 without providing a separate air blowing unit.

  In addition, since the air that has cooled the UV lamp 94A has a temperature higher than room temperature, blowing air onto the leading edge of the paper P also has an effect of promoting drying of the leading edge of the paper P.

  In the present embodiment, the suction fan 94C is provided in the housing 94B of the UV irradiation unit 94. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the suction fan 94C may be provided in the blow-out portion 98 at the tip of the exhaust duct 96. In this case, when the suction fan 94C blows air from the blowing part 98, the air in the exhaust duct 96 sequentially moves to the blowing part 98, and the air is taken into the housing 94B. Further, the air outlet may be formed by tapering the other end of the exhaust duct 96 without providing the air outlet 98.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, an inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is provided with a blower fan 102 on an upper portion of a guide plate 72 serving as a conveyance path surface. The blower fan 102 is located directly below the UV irradiation unit 74, and the upper surface of the blower fan 102 is flush with the upper surface 72 </ b> A of the guide plate 72. Further, a blower outlet 102A is formed on the upper surface of the blower fan 102, and air is blown upward from the blower fan 102 via the blower outlet 102A. Further, a motor (not shown) is connected to the blower fan 102, and control means for controlling on / off of the motor is provided.

  A paper detection sensor 104 is disposed on the upstream side of the UV irradiation unit 74 in the transport direction so as to face the guide plate 72. As the paper detection sensor 104, a fiber sensor, a laser sensor, or the like is used, and the paper P is detected when the paper P passes immediately below the paper detection sensor 104. Here, the paper detection sensor 104 is connected to the motor control means of the blower fan 102, and when the paper detection sensor 104 detects the paper P, the control means drives the motor for a certain period of time to blow air from the blower fan 102. Is done.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when the paper P gripped by the gripper 64D passes through the drying processing unit 68 and directly below the paper detection sensor 104, the control unit drives the motor, and the blower fan 102 The air is blown for a certain time. Thereby, air is sent into the gap between the guide plate 72 and the paper P, and the paper P can be floated in the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74.

  Further, when the rear end portion of the paper P reaches the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74, the motor is stopped and the blowing from the blower fan 102 is stopped. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the rear end portion of the sheet P from being lifted from the guide plate 72. In this way, by blowing air from the conveyance path surface toward the lower surface of the paper P, the paper P can be lifted even when the gap between the leading end of the paper P and the guide plate 72 is narrow.

  In the present embodiment, the blower fan 102 is stopped until the rear end portion of the paper P is conveyed to the irradiation area of the UV irradiation unit 74. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rear end portion of the paper P is the irradiation area. The rear end portion of the paper P may be sucked by the blower fan 102 by rotating the motor reversely when the paper P is conveyed.

  The first to fourth embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say you get. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a shutter is provided in the air blowing unit 80 and the shutter is closed at a predetermined timing to prevent the rear end portion of the paper P from being blown by air and being lifted from the guide plate 72.

10 Inkjet recording device (image forming device)
64 Chain gripper (conveying means)
72 Guide plate (conveyance path)
74 UV irradiation unit (active energy ray irradiation means)
74A UV lamp (light source)
74B Housing 74C Suction fan 80 Blower unit (Blower unit)
82 Blower box 82A Nozzle portion 84 Blower fan 85 Inkjet recording apparatus (image forming apparatus)
86 Control unit (wind speed control means)
90 Inkjet recording device (image forming device)
94 UV irradiation unit (active energy ray irradiation means)
94A Light source 94B Housing 94C Suction fan 96 Exhaust duct 100 Inkjet recording apparatus (image forming apparatus)
102 Blower fan P Paper (recording paper)
P1 Tip P2 Tip

Claims (9)

Active energy ray irradiating means for irradiating active energy rays to a recording paper on which an image is formed with an active energy ray curable ink;
A conveying path disposed opposite to the active energy ray irradiating means and sucking the recording paper;
Conveying means for grasping a leading end portion of the recording sheet sucked into the conveying path and lifting and conveying the leading end portion;
Blowing means for blowing air to the irradiation area of the active energy ray irradiating means, sending air into the gap between the conveyance path and the leading edge of the recording paper, and floating the leading edge of the recording paper from the conveying path;
An image forming apparatus.   The air blowing means is disposed downstream of the active energy ray irradiating means in the conveyance direction of the recording paper, and blows air from an obliquely upper side of the recording paper to a gap between the conveyance path and the leading edge of the recording paper. The image forming apparatus described in 1.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air blowing unit floats the leading end portion of the recording sheet to the same height as the leading end portion held by the conveying unit.   The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blower unit includes a blower box including a nozzle portion in which a blower outlet is narrowed and a blower fan stored in the blower box.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wind speed control unit configured to increase a wind speed blown by the blowing unit as the thickness of the recording sheet conveyed by the conveying unit increases. The active energy ray irradiating means includes a light source, a casing that stores the light source, and a suction fan that is provided in the casing and takes air into the casing to cool the light source.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blowing unit is an exhaust duct that blows air sucked by the suction fan to a gap between the conveyance path and the leading end of the recording sheet. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blowing unit blows warm air.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blowing unit blows air from a conveyance path surface of the conveyance path toward a lower surface of the recording sheet. The active energy ray curable ink is an ultraviolet curable ink,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the active energy ray irradiation unit is an ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays.

Images